Wasn't Sunday the quintessential gorgeous Northwest spring day? Sundays are my long run days, and the beautiful weather made it a little easier to hit the road. The previous Sunday's combination of cold, rain, and leg cramps was one of the worst runs I have had, so I needed a little extra motivation to get out and try again.
When I say "run," I really mean run-walk-run, the Jeff Galloway technique of running a few minutes then walking a minute, repeat.
This Sunday I ran from home, out 112th/Gher Rd/94th (is there a road in Vancouver that goes any distance without changing its name?), to Padden Parkway, west to Hazel Dell, looping back at 99th Street and Hwy 99, back to 78th/Padden and returning home the way I came.
I have run along Padden Parkway several times now, and I really enjoy the parts along the wetlands. I have seen ducks, Canadian geese, a heron, and many types of birds, including my favorite - the redwinged blackbird. The part I don't enjoy as much is the intersection at Andresen, where there are so many lanes and so much traffic due to Costco and Home Depot.
On a long run, it can be important to have some mental distraction. There are a couple of things I have seen on pretty much every long run that add some humor to the exercise: a banana peel and an ambulance. The banana peel has humor just as part of classic comedy; the ambulance is maybe a little dark humor, when I imagine myself hitching a ride home in case I get too tired.
Where Padden Parkway crosses over I-205, the bike path has a foot bridge that goes up and over, and comes down almost in the backyard of Crossroads Community Church. On the way home I was thinking of stopping to do my Jimmy Cagney impersonation ("Look Ma, top of the world!"), but there were a bunch of bicyclists coming and going, and I just had to say it to myself.
I felt on top of the world, completing my chosen route, logging my miles, being on track for my race day 9 weeks away, even if I did get a little sunburned!
You are my hero!
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